Say Less Part 9 of 9
by Uzumaki-Rebellion
Summary: All good threesomes things must come to an end...


"_**Early late at night  
I wander off into a land  
You can go, but you mustn't tell a soul  
There's a world inside  
Where dreamers meet each other  
Once you go it's hard to come back  
Let me paint your canvas as you dance**_

_**Dance in the trees  
Paint mysteries  
The magnificent droid plays there  
Your magic mind  
Makes love to mine  
I think I'm in love, angel**_

_**Take me back to Wondaland  
I gotta get back to Wondaland…"**_

_**Janelle Monae – **_**"Wondaland"**

Renata sat alone in the basement.

Erik's bed was cool and she could smell his scent on her skin.

After cleaning herself up in the bathroom, she slipped on her shorts and pulled on her bikini tank top. She grabbed some clean sheets and changed the damp ones on the hideaway. Throwing the soiled coverings into the washing machine in the corner, she walked out of the basement in search of Erik.

He wasn't on any of the three floors of the house, nor was he out on any of the decks. She exited the back of the house and couldn't find him outside either. Something made her look out at the water past the dock. The moon was waning and she crept along the dock worried that maybe he could've fallen in the water. He had weed and liquor in his system and she wanted to make sure he hadn't hit his head or anything and could be floating. Why her mind leaped to that scenario was beyond her, but it did make her anxious to find him. She was already feeling embarrassed about what Celeste said to her. That Renata had made Erik feel some things he probably didn't want any part of.

Gazing out at the water, she wished she had brought the little pocket flashlight that she kept in her purse. She could hear the sound of the pontoon boat gently rocking against the dock where it was tied down. Maybe he went running. Or maybe he took the keys to one of the minivans and went for a drive. But he had left the basement barefoot. Maybe he was sitting in front of the house.

She turned away from the dock and movement from within the pontoon caught her eyes. She let out a sigh of relief. Erik was sitting on the boat.

He watched her walk over to him without saying anything, and when she climbed aboard, she made sure to sit across from him. His eyes cut away from hers.

"Hi," she said. She tried reading his face but it was passive in appearance.

He gave her a head nod but still didn't speak right away.

"Air seems pretty good out here," she said trying to get him to talk. His silence made her nervous. Not looking at her made her feel worse. Maybe he wanted to be alone longer. She stood up.

"You shouldn't do that…fuck dudes…have sex like that," he said.

She dropped eye contact with him. Her cheeks growing warm.

"Your man, your real man, whoever that may be one day…that's who deserves that shit, Renata. Not me."

"Erik, listen—"

"What were you trying to do?"

She sat back down.

"I just wanted to see what it would be like. With you."

"And I just went along with it," he said. He leaned forward and cradled his face in his hands.

Renata tried to tap into what the issue was for him. Their love-making was explosive. She could still feel the aftershocks tickling her toes. What was the real problem? Unless…

He felt something for her.

Her breath quickened in her chest.

"It's late. I changed the sheets on your bed so you're good. I'll see you at ten, okay?" she said, suddenly needing to be away from him.

He nodded and stood up before she did.

"Night, see you in the morning then," he said still not looking her in her eye.

"Night."

He left the boat and she kept her eyes out on the lake.

Damn.

Mad awkward.

Renata took her time returning to the basement. Erik was under his sheets when she did go back. She used the restroom and braided her hair in two plaits.

"Renata."

She stuck her head out of the restroom. Erik was still curled up on his side facing away from her.

"Yeah?"

"Come lay down with me."

Renata stood in the doorway of the restroom and waited. What was he doing?

Erik turned over and looked at her. He lifted the sheet cover.

She padded over and looked down at him. She could see that he was naked. She took off her shorts and top and climbed in next to him. He tossed the sheet over her waist and pulled her in close to him. She nuzzled her face into his neck and rested. The scent of his skin was soothing and the warmth he gave off made her feel safe and protected.

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

###

The sheets moving woke her up.

Renata's eyes snapped open. Her head was resting on her right arm and she could feel Erik's upper body jerking next to her. She reached her hand out and touched his chest. He was breathing hard.

"Erik," she whispered and he stopped his erratic movement.

"Baba…" he said, and she watched his eyes snap open. He sat up and his eyes looked down at her hand on his chest. He reached for her fingers and squeezed them.

"You were dreaming," she said.

His head dropped back on his pillow. His breathing was still uneven.

Renata reached up and stroked his hair and his eyes closed. He leaned in toward her and she pulled him down to her chest where he rested his head.

"Relax," she said and he snuggled against her tight. She kept stroking his curls.

She listened to the sound of his soft breathing, one hand on his hair, and her other hand grasping his arm, keeping him secure next to her. When he shifted his head to get more comfortable, his lips brushed against her nipple and a shaky breath escaped her lips. His right hand grasped her right breast and he wrapped his lips around it and sucked on her. She watched his mouth and tongue work in unison.

"Hmmmm…" she mumbled under her breath and he pulled her to her side so he could suck and squeeze both breasts, burying his face in her chest, his groans of pleasure delightful music to her ears. The warm saliva from his mouth made her nipples wet hard pebbles and he suckled them like they were sweet candy made for him. His full pouty lips rubbed across her peaks like the soft fluffy seed head of dandelion flowers as the hairs from his mustache lightly tickled them. She pressed her thighs together feeling the taut pressure on her clit rising. His moaning and sucking and pinching her breasts had her hips squirming.

"Ooommmm," she groaned and Erik bit down on her left nipple and the spark of his teeth on her flesh zoomed down to her throbbing bud and broke her, the spasms of her orgasm shaking her core.

"ErikErikErik…"

She panted his name as she rode out her release, shook from his ability to make her cum just from sucking on her titties.

He nuzzled his face between her breasts again once he released her sensitized nipples from his teeth, and she held him once more in a loving embrace. He didn't want to move from her arms or her chest.

"Why you gon' make leaving so difficult for me?" he whispered.

She didn't answer.

"I just wanted to fuck you like Celeste. Now you got my head all messed up."

She felt his nose rub against her nipples and then he was sucking on her once more. His nipple play pulled another orgasm from her and she felt like she was going turn into a giant puddle of her own natural lubricant if he kept it up. And he did keep it up, pawing at her tits, kneading them, slapping her nipples, biting them, and smashing them together in a delicious manipulative frenzy.

They were both sweating, making the sheets damp again by the time he finally stopped playing with her breasts. A third orgasm made her thighs slippery, and when he rested his head back on her chest and fell asleep, she stayed up the rest of the night thinking about how the next day would be their last full day together.

###

Erik was already gone from the bed when Renata woke up the next morning.

She showered and threw on cute flower print shorts and a plain green t-shirt. She checked her cell and Octavian had sent out a group message on Chatterbox letting everyone know that they were to dress up that night for dinner since it was their final full meal together. Half of the group would be leaving out early the next day, and the rest were staggered thereafter. Renata already felt sad melancholy hovering over her.

She hung up a short black sparkly dress for dinner and opted out of wearing the usual black leggings with it. She was feeling herself and everyone was going to see a lot of thighs and big hips tonight.

Upstairs in the kitchen, she met with Erik and Octavian. Erik had his computer on the counter and he had a nice mix of music playing.

"Hey, you're ten minutes late," Octavian said. He had a stocking cap on his head to hook up his waves for later.

Erik rinsed his hands and when he looked at her, whatever he was feeling for her last night had seemed to carry over. Thank goodness they weren't downstairs because it really did feel like he would jump her if they were alone.

Erik gave them thorough directions. Renata would be in charge of cutting up vegetables, and Octavian fruit. They each had separate work stations, and as they prepped their assigned jobs, Renata couldn't help but appreciate the ease in which Erik worked the kitchen. He was comfortable in it, and his music was setting the perfect mood. Normally finding cooking tedious and boring, Renata found herself having fun.

Erik had black beans and lentils he had soaked for twenty-four hours in the fridge cooking on the stove already.

"Aye, this the jam right here!" Octavian shouted as he shook his hips standing at the dining table. Erik turned up the volume on his computer and they all wiggled in time to the music.

"What in the hell is that?" Octavian asked staring at Erik.

"It's a flavor injector needle," Erik said.

Renata and Octavian watched him inject freshly peeled and halved peaches from a large bowl.

"When did you do all these?" Renata asked.

"After my run this morning."

"But they look perfect," she said.

"All you have to do is boil some water, dip the whole peach in with the skin for thirty seconds in the hot water, pull it out with a colander spoon and stick it in ice water. It peels right off. Easy."

"Who taught you that?" Octavian asked.

"My grandmother. This is her recipe. She injected her peaches with bourbon instead of just mixing it in the brown sugar and butter."

"I just realized something," Renata said rinsing her hands in the sink, "we forgot to get ice cream for the cobbler."

"I can pick it up later," Octavian said, "I need to get us some champagne anyway."

"Ooh, extra fancy this year," she said.

"Oui Madame, we classy up in here."

By the time they were done slicing and dicing and Erik had two glass cobbler dishes ready to bake later, they had time to chill and listen to Erik's music.

"We'll start with the black bean soup, then the shrimp and rice. The swordfish and veggies go last, and then the cobbler," Erik said looking around at all the completed tasks prepped and ready to go for him. He stirred the black beans and added seasoning to it, and turned off the lentils.

Erik's computer made a loud ding sound. His eyes glanced at it for a moment but then he went back to his pot of black beans. His music stopped. The playlist had ended.

"What happened to the music?" Octavian pouted, sipping a pre-noon beer.

Erik started wiping his hands on a kitchen cloth.

"I got it," Renata said.

Erik's computer made the loud dinging sound again, and when Renata hit Erik's screen to replay his music, her finger also swiped a face chat line. The oval face of the beautiful dark-skinned girl who spoke to Erik the night she teased him popped up. Seated next to her was another young woman whose light-brown face scrunched up when she saw Renata's face.

"Olá, bom dia," the dark-skinned beauty said staring at Renata's face.

"Um…" Renata mumbled.

"Onde está JaJa?" the other woman said, her eyes narrowing at Renata.

Erik stepped over to his computer.

"JaJa!" The women both said.

_JaJa?_

Erik spoke in Portuguese and Renata saw Octavian's eyes look surprised to hear him rattling off in another language so easily.

The two women listened to Erik talk and the light-brown woman said something to him that made the other woman slap her arm. The sable beauty's hands raised up and then she looked toward Renata.

"Hi, my name is Marisol. This is Rafaela. He is so rude," Marisol said.

"Hi, I'm Renata, and this is Octavian," Renata said waving Octavian over. Renata pushed the laptop back so they could see everyone.

Rafaela spoke to Erik in Portuguese.

"Nah, she's not my girlfriend," he said looking embarrassed for answering in English. For a second, Renata felt a way about that statement, but it was true.

"We're in the middle of doing something, w'sup?" Erik said. He spoke to Marisol in a tone that was more familial and not in a way that conveyed a sexual relationship.

"Mãe wants to know when you are coming out. You haven't emailed her yet and she is driving me crazy asking," Marisol said. Her heavily accented English was soothing to listen to. She was so cute to Renata, her perky personality shining through. She could tell that this girl could make Erik do whatever she wanted.

"I'll call her when I get back to school," Erik said.

"No, you call her today," Marisol said with her finger up in the air.

Erik stepped back to the stove and stirred his beans.

Rafaela started going in on Erik and the volley of Portuguese words flew fast. This young woman clearly was not family. It sounded like a lover's spat and it made Renata uncomfortable watching Erik go at it with her. Marisol's face looked amused and she looked at Renata with a smile.

"She is mad at him because he is talking to this girl that she doesn't like here," Marisol said to Renata and Octavian.

"Keep translating, Sis," Octavian said giggling at Erik. Renata was feeling even more uncomfortable witnessing the tongue-lashing Rafaela was giving him. She wore thick box braids of golden-brown hair that complimented her skin tone. She was a slender girl with thick pouty lips, a no-nonsense beauty that didn't care if complete strangers heard her complaining to Erik. Rafaela kept going off and Marisol sat there listening and eyeing Renata and Octavian.

"She is telling him that he better come see her first when he comes here, or else she will –"

"Aye, Marisol, stop translating—"

"Don't listen to him, Marisol. Translate away!" Octavian yelled.

"Don't worry, he can't tell me what to do. He's been trying all his life," Marisol said winking and tossing back the blackest silken curls Renata had ever seen. She just looked magical on the screen with her perfect teeth and perfect bee-stung lips. She looked to be around Erik's age if not younger.

Renata's face was a little hot by that point. Rafaela was his girlfriend or at least a lover he had in Brazil. And it sounded like she wasn't the only one he had there based on how passionate she was talking to him. Erik's voice sounded so beguiling and amorous in Portuguese; the timbre shifted into something different from his English. He was placating Rafaela, and the young woman must've been charmed by it because there was a change in tone from her, the hard edges that colored her voice now sounded smoothed over. Maybe he promised to blow her back out when he went to see her.

Renata grabbed Octavian by the arm. Erik turned the pot of black beans down to simmer.

"We're going to let them talk," Renata said to Marisol. Marisol nodded her head as if this was not new to her.

"Ok, nice meeting you. Sorry, my cousin has women problems," Marisol said.

Cousin.

Renata felt a sense of relief. Rafaela was a pretty girl, but Renata didn't get the sense that Erik was that attached to her by the way he was being dismissive with her words at first. But if Marisol wasn't his kin, Renata could honestly say that she would feel threatened by her. Not just her beauty, but the way Erik deferred to her so willingly.

Out on the deck, she and Octavian sat on chairs and watched Erik deflect, cajole, and sound defensive. It was pretty funny to watch, but it also let Renata know that he probably had women everywhere. Whatever he hinted at feeling last night didn't feel so permanent to her in the day time.

"I'm going to run out now and pick up the ice cream and champagne. Text me if you need anything else," Octavian said.

Renata watched him leave, slinking past Erik who was now standing in front of his laptop with his arms crossed. She could hear Marisol sounding like a mediator, and whatever she was saying had Erik quiet and focused.

Drama.

###

"Everything okay?" Renata asked.

Once she heard his music back on, she took that as a sign that he was done talking to Marisol and Rafaela.

"Yeah," he said.

"Marisol is your cousin."

"Yeah."

"And Rafaela?"

Erik just cut his eyes from her to his computer where he scrolled through his music.

"Girlfriend?" Renata pushed.

"She's Marisol's friend."

"Is she your friend too?" she said, a little reticence in her voice.

"Yeah," he said, his voice sounding irritated by her question.

"She sounded mad at you. Are you two okay?"

"Why so many questions? Ask what you really want to ask," he said leaning his hands back on the kitchen sink and staring her in the face.

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

She wasn't expecting that answer.

"She's your girlfriend but you are out here having sex with other women?"

She felt disgusted. Shocked. Used.

"We have that type of understanding—"

"She knows you sleep with other women?"

"Yeah. It's an open relationship."

"Does she know you have unprotected sex sometimes?"

Renata could feel her stomach churning with disappointment. She wanted to feel special. She wanted to feel like Erik had found magic with her. Their lovemaking the night before…he could be doing that to Rafaela and other women, experiencing that intensity on the regular.

"I wrap up when I need to, and sometimes…I don't have to. Like with you."

She felt her blood pressure rising and she went to the fridge and grabbed a beer so she could focus on doing something and not look at him. It was one thing for her to think he was single like he said he was, and another to hear him say he had an open relationship.

"You said you were single, Erik—"

"I can have sex with whoever I want to—"

"But she's your girl. She sounded pissed too. You didn't talk to her like you cared about her."

"You don't even know what we were talking about."

"It just sounded—"

"If you hadn't hit the wrong app, this wouldn't be an issue. Why you trippin'? I'm not cheating—"

"It feels like it—"

"But I'm not—"

"Does she sleep with other people?"

"Yeah. Probably a lot too. What she does when I'm not there is her business. When I come through…I come through. She don't hold no rank with me."

Renata sipped on the beer and stood across from him leaning against the small kitchen island counter.

"Why you mad?" he asked.

"I'm not mad," she said and they both heard the brittle tone in her throat.

He stepped closer to her, using his height advantage to crowd her a bit, close her in so she couldn't escape him.

"Why you mad?" he asked again.

She flicked her eyes down to his chest so she could avoid his eyes, eyes that could be so damn intense, a natural lie detector that could see right through her. She was mad. She was also mad that she was mad…at a twenty-two-year-old who was doing what men his age did.

"Would you rather me say she's my lover instead of girlfriend? Fuck buddy? Amigos with benefits? Are we going to compare body counts or somethin'? How come you don't have a problem with me being with Celeste? Or Dawn?"

"There's a connection with her, Erik. A relationship. Some history. She expects you to have—"  
"Expects me to have what? Honesty? Something I give her already? It's not serious. I call her girlfriend because _she_ likes that. But she knows I can't be tied down. She cool wit it. She knows I see other people because we're so far apart for so long. She can do the same. She just mad right now because she found out there's a girl I'm talking to….talking to only…and she doesn't like her. They attend the same university and the girl is a student of my uncle down there. Dassit."

"She didn't look like she was happy to see my face."

"She not happy to see anyone's face she doesn't know."

"I don't believe that—"  
"C'mon, girl. She ain't got nothin' to do with you. Why you beefin'?"

She took another sip of beer and he took the bottle from her and put it on the counter. He moved his face closer to hers.

"Talk to me," he said.

"I feel like you weren't truthful with me. Last night you told me that I was going to make it hard to leave here—"

"I meant that."

She looked up at him.

"It's going to be hard for me too," she said.

He kissed the side of her temple.

"Let's just have a great last day. That's all I want," he said.

"You said I had your head all messed up. What do you mean by that?"

"You know what I meant—"

"I don't want to guess or assume anything. Be straight up."

Erik closed his eyes for a second and took a small step back from her. Evan and Vera came into the kitchen grabbing hot dog and hamburger buns. Soyini was behind them scooping up ketchup and mustard bottles from on top of the fridge.

"We're firing up the grill for lunch. Should be ready pretty soon," Soyini said, "wow, you guys are doing it up in here. Can't wait for dinner tonight," she said.

Soyini could see from Renata's face that she was upset.

"I'll be down in a minute," Renata said, "I'm hungry."

"Okay, good."

Soyini and the others left and Renata stared at Erik again.

"What do you want me to say to make you feel better?" he asked.

"Don't treat me like Rafaela—"

"Whatchu mean?"

"Don't just say shit to make me shut up."

He laughed.

"You think that's what I was doing with her?"

"Erik…please…just say it—"

"Say what?"

She turned to walk away and he grabbed her hand pulling her back.

"Don't do that," he said.

She looked at him again. He didn't want to say how he felt. Was it to protect himself?

"I know I upset you when we…when we made love like we did. I made that happen because I don't just like you Erik, I feel more than that—"

"You want to hear me say I love you."

She nodded her head.

"I can't say that. I'm not able to say that to you if I'm not completely sure what I'm feeling. I don't want to lie to you about that. I appreciate what you say…what you feel for me. You put it on me last night and I was shook. But… I got so much in my head. School. My living situation. I got some health things going on with my Grandpop. This trip was to help me chill, and it's been great. You and Celeste…"

Renata took in his words. The disappointment she felt drained away from her. Erik was doing something that Mason had never done, that many men she had dealt with never did well: be open and honest as fuck.

Just because he wasn't saying what she wanted to hear-what she wanted to be the cherry on top of getting her new career with Stark Industries-he was giving her what she needed. It wasn't right for her to expect him to jump in tune with her just because she fell in love with him in just seven days.

The thought made her straighten her back.

She was in love with Erik Stevens.

The guy she ignored when he was picked up from the airport. The guy who had no qualms being sexual on his terms when he felt like it. The guy who sat her down and helped re-shape her presentation so that she was at her best with Tony Stark. The guy who was mature enough to tell his Brazilian lover that she could have him when he was in her country and that he wouldn't be able to be monogamous thousands of miles away.

Renata stepped forward and put her index finger on his lips making him go silent.

"Whatever you feel for me is how you feel. I want today to be special. I want to help you cook and feast on all this amazing food you are whipping up for us. Don't let my silly ass make you say anything you don't really mean—"

His lips came down on hers so fast it made her stumble back a bit until his hands cradled her lower back. She pressed her hands onto the planes of his chest and let his mouth seduce her into giving up the need to control the outcome of their vacation.

"You're not silly," he said nudging her cheek with his lips, "Whoa… hold up," he said grabbing a wooden spoon from the stove and stirring his beans. He added onions and fresh red bell peppers to it and placed the pot lid back on it. Reaching into his pocket, he took out his cell and set an alarm.

"I'm going to get a burger," she said walking away.

He was behind her a few minutes later as they walked onto the bottom deck to join the others for lunch. Afterward, the majority of them went swimming and sunbathing.

Renata enjoyed the sun beating down on her toasting skin as she watched Erik and all the guys splash around with Celeste, Claudette, and Niecy in the lake. The other women baked with her on the dock. It was a gorgeous day and she focused on being in the moment with everyone.

"The mosquitoes are acting a damn fool out here," Octavian said climbing out of the water.

"I wanted us to have dinner outside," Renata said.

"We'll have it upstairs and dress things up. The good dishes. Tea lights. Mood music. These bloodsuckers can have the outdoors for now," Octavian said.

Renata nodded her head and then dozed off on the deck.

###

She felt hands tapping her shoulders.

"Wake up sleepy head, time for us to start putting this meal together," Octavian said.

Renata's eyes felt blinded when she opened them. The sun had shifted and it actually felt a little cooler outside.

She sat up and looked down at her arms and legs. She was an even light brown color now. Her legs looked sensual. She couldn't wait to wear her new heels again with her dress.

She and Octavian joined Erik in the kitchen. They washed their hands and Erik guided them.

"We'll have the meal in four courses, and to keep things smooth, we'll serve each person together," Erik said.

Erik put on music that made Renata and Octavian rock their hips as they set up a gorgeous dining table with a fancy table cloth and linen napkins. Renata found some decorative dining table flowers and fruits that she placed tea candles around. They were creating a Caribbean themed evening.

"This music is so good!" Renata said as she helped Erik sauté shrimp and fry up spicy plantains for the jasmine rice they had prepared.

"This was the music my parents played when they cooked," Erik said

Renata listened closely to him. She remembered clearly that his parents were a sensitive topic for him. But he was grinning while talking as the music floated around them. Octavian popped open wine bottles to breathe and prepared a big batch of his famous white sangria drink.

"They were always busy. My Pops at work, my Mom…she taught school and she taught dance and capoeira…."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Capoeira? It's a Brazilian martial art. Came from Angola and flourished in Brazil. My Grandpop and my mom were mestres, masters of the form. I have an uncle who teaches it in Sao Paulo. Marisol does it. I do it too."

"Are you a master like your Mom?"

"Nah, not yet. That takes years. I'm good, but not at my Mom's level. She was even better than my Grandpop. My uncle is a badass too. They call him Besouro after a legendary capoeirista from way back."

Erik went to his computer and pulled up some music.

A strange stringed instrument accompanied by drums played. It sounded so powerful. He typed up on his computer again and a video popped up.

"That's my uncle," Erik said.

Octavian and Renata stood in front of his laptop and watched a handsome Black man with salt and pepper dreds jump around kicking and swinging his legs with the same music they were listening to outside in a park.

"Is that Marisol with him?" Renata asked.

"Yeah," Erik said, a proud grin on his face.

Marisol was doing flips and twists in time to the beat and attacking Erik's uncle with her legs.

"Wow, that is bangin'," Octavian said.

"Do you have video of your Mom doing it?"

Erik paused and his grin slipped a little bit.  
"Never mind, Erik, I shouldn't have—"

"Nah, lemme…lemme pull something up," he said.

Erik typed in the words "Baptisado" and "Mestre Martelo" and a year.

"Is that her?" Renata asked with bated breath.

"Yeah. This is when she received her final cord…kinda like in karate when you get your black belt…"

"Wow. She is whooping ass," Octavian said.

Renata couldn't keep her eyes off of Califia Stevens.

Her red hair was braided and her freckled face was full of determination. Her speed, physical agility, and strength were stunning. At one point she was fighting two men at the same time.

"That's my other Uncle, Marisol's grandfather, and that's Besouro when he was younger—"

"Holy shit, she can get up in the air!" Renata said.

It was tense watching the fighting. Octavian paused the video.

"Okay…okay…let me wrap my head around this," Octavian pointed at Erik's mother, "she just did the Chinese splits, then went into a handstand with one hand and spun her feet beating the shit out of both your Uncles at the same time. What kind of superhero shit is this?"

Renata watched Erik laugh and his face swelled with pride.

"No seriously, your mother is beating their ass!"

Renata reached out and stroked Erik's arm. Octavian tapped the screen again.

Another man jumped into the fight replacing Marisol's grandfather and Califia chased him out leaving her to maneuver around Besouro. The battle ended when she lunged for Erik's Uncle and tangled up his legs knocking him down using her thighs to subdue him. She jumped up screaming, and for the first time, Renata was able to hear her speak. She shouted in Portuguese and English and did a front walk over and posed with her legs in the air. Marisol's grandfather was yelling out toward the audience watching them.

"He is telling everyone what her new name is. Mestre Martelo…Master Hammer," Erik said.

"She was definitely hammering those men left and right," Octavian said.

Renata glanced at Erik's face. His eyes were shiny and she wasn't sure if it was from happiness or sadness at seeing his mother. She didn't want him to feel sad. She was sorry she had asked to see her. The video ended.

Erik put the music back on.

"That was cool. Thank you for sharing that with us," Renata said.

"This was her favorite meal," Erik said turning back to the stove.

"Oh yeah?" Renata said happily that his mood was still up.

"My Pop used to make these spicy plantains and rice with the shrimp for her. If they got into arguments, or if she was pissed about something he did, he would cook this for her and then afterward they'd disappear to their room," he said laughing, "a couple of hours later things were all good between them."

Octavian giggled and Renata cracked a big smile.

"Your parents cooked a lot?" Octavian asked.

"Yeah. Sundays were our family day. They'd cook, I'd dance around with my Mom and play D.J. for them, and after dinner, we'd play board games, word games, or watch science docs, or talk about the world. They put a lot of their attention on me and what I was interested in. I was going to high school when I was nine, so we would talk about me navigating older kids. Sundays are always special to me because of them. They taught me how to cook from scratch, how to argue and defend my position on ideas, and how to maneuver in anti-black spaces from Oakland to Brazil…I was a lucky kid."

His voice went soft.

"You were in high school at nine?" Octavian said.

"Yeah. I skipped a bunch of grades."

"Boy genius?" Octavian asked.

"I guess. That's what my pre-school teacher said and I was placed in grade school early."

Erik put a lid on the last batch of shrimp he cooked. He pulled out his phone and sent out a Chatterbox message for everyone.

"I'll show you how to grill the fish and vegetables Octavian, and Renata you'll do the jackfruit, and I'll put the cobblers in the oven and start getting the mango relish together," Erik said.

Renata felt herself getting more excited. They were really outdoing all the meals they had ever had at the lake house.

They all went to their assigned stations, Octavian going downstairs to grill the fish on mesquite wood chips, Renata sautéing seasoned jackfruit chunks for their one vegetarian, Vera, who still wanted to eat fish. Erik grooved while throwing together his mango relish, and Renata took pleasure in watching him move around the kitchen. When his relish was done, he cleaned up all their prep equipment, washed mixing bowls and cutting boards, and making sure items stayed warmed up until they were all ready to eat.

When Renata left to go shower and get dressed, Erik was beaming and her heart was glad.

###

"Hey now!"

Octavian was placing his two large pitchers of white sangria on the dining table at each end as his eyes spied Renata trying to do her best Naomi Campbell walk into the room. She loved the way her smooth toasted brown thighs felt being out in the open. She wore no stockings and her Louboutins made her feel tall and glamorous. Slick high ponytail, big thick silver earrings, sparkly night sky dress, and tasteful make-up, Renata felt amazing to her own damn self.

She spun around for Octavian and then checked him out.

"I see you stuntin' with that Tom Ford," she said.

All black silk shirt and slacks, Octavian's outfit fell in line with Renata's.

"Oh, well excuse me," Octavian said, his eyes looking behind Renata.

Holy shit.

Erik walked into the room in a black knitted short-sleeved polo shirt with stylish black pants and lace-up black and white dress shoes. His shirt was form-fitting and the ratio of his broad shoulders and narrow waist had that upside-down triangle shape that men killed themselves in the gym to have.

When his eyes fell on Renata, they dragged from her face to her hips to her legs and to the heels accentuating her ankles. She couldn't help but do the same to him as she chewed on her bottom lip for a second staring at him.

"Damn," he said staring at her. Her heels made her the same height as him, "I like how them thighs are touchin', Ma," he said licking his lips.

"Hold still," Octavian said holding up his cell phone, "you two look fucking incredible."

Erik slipped his arm around her waist and they both smiled for the camera.

"Lemme see," Erik said.

Octavian gave him the phone.

"Shit, you need to send this to me right now," Erik said.

Renata looked at the picture and she felt her skin tingle. They looked perfect together.

"Turn around and lemme see somethin'," Erik said teasing her, but Renata did it anyway, and when she looked at his face again, his expression had changed. He was giving her serious bedroom eyes.

"Y'all ready?" Erik said once he wrenched his eyes away from hers.

Renata lit the tea candles and Octavian brought out the wine. Erik fixed the first course bowls and the rest of the crew started filing in, dressed to impress. There were "Oohs" and "Ahs" from everyone for the table set up, and her friends complimented her dress. She could see her women friends giving slick glances toward Erik.

"It smells so good in here! I am starving!" said Soyini.

Everyone sat down and Octavian helped Renata bring out the pineapple black bean soup first course that Erik had prepped. When Erik sat down to join them all, they all held hands and Mason said the traditional farewell meal prayer.

Erik sat on the opposite end of the table from Renata, and she was glad because he looked too damn good. As Mason wound down his prayer, Renata glanced up and Erik's eyes were on her. His lips were curved in a soft smile for her, and for a second, she just held that moment of them staring at one another. Everyone else had their eyes closed, but they were watching each other. He made her feel girlish and she looked away first as Claudette and Terrell squeezed her hands on either side of her as the prayer ended and everyone began to eat the first course.

"Oh. My. God," Vera said as she spooned her first taste of the pineapple black bean soup.

The soft reggae dub music in the background, the flickering of the tea candle lights in the rays of the sunset lowering outside, and the clanging of spoons digging into the soup made the ambiance perfect.

"This is delicious you guys," Celeste said. She sat near Erik on the far end. Everyone's lips were smacking from the soup, and the wine and sangria went down heavily around the table.

"The flavors in this are so rich and smoky," Evan said finishing up the last of his soup in his bowl.

Octavian gave Renata a look of relief. If they didn't have Erik, this could've been a different and much boring affair.

Erik glanced around the table like the King of his own court. Everyone was done with the first course, so their team went to work. Octavian and Renata collected the bowls while Erik went to set up the second course on fancy paper plates. Like a well-oiled machine, Renata shaped the rice on each plate in a small ceramic bowl like Erik showed her as Octavian went after her placing the spicy plantains on the far side of each plate. When they finished, Erik scooped the black pepper shrimp around each small lump of rice.

When everyone had their plate, they dug in and all Renata heard were moans and groans and fingers being licked. Even Vera with her jackfruit substitution in place of the shrimp was licking the sauce and spices from her plate.

Renata glanced over at Mason, and he was tucking in without saying much. He drank a lot of water and wine along with eating up the cooling mango relish on his plate.

Renata took her time eating, the flavors of the shrimp and spicy plantains rolling on her tongue as she tried to imagine Erik being a little kid and his father cooking this meal for his mother. She herself enjoyed the time spent preparing the food with him, especially since she had fully embraced the fact that she was in love with Erik, and he had cooked the food fully embraced in the love of his parents and the love they had for each other. The sweet of the mango relish and the heat from the hot black peppers seemed to have the dynamic that Erik alluded to them having. What did his parents argue about that would make his father prepare food like this to win back favor with his mother? It brought a warm smile to her face while it also made tears prick her eyes as she remembered the expression on Erik's face as he watched the video of his mother doing capoeira. The wound of her absence was all over his face even though he was proud to see her moving image.

Renata discreetly wiped her eyelids then picked up her glass of champagne a drank deeply. She caught Erik's eye as he forked down some plantains on his plate.

Shawn tapped his knife on his wine glass.

"We gotta give it up to our cooks for this meal, so far we are being spoiled by all this good food, and I'm looking forward to what is coming next! Cheers!" he said holding up his glass.

Everyone toasted and clinked glasses. Renata poured herself a separate glass of Octavian's sangria.

"Everyone ready for the next course?" Erik asked standing up.

Once back behind the island in the kitchen, they switched to real plates instead of the nice disposable ones they used for the shrimp and plantains.

Erik took his time making sure each plate of grilled swordfish had the right amount of mango chutney and curried lentils. Renata spooned on some grilled broccoli and drizzled a thick dark balsamic vinegar on top, while Octavian passed out the plates that were ready.

They were given a round of applause when everyone had their plate in front of them, and Soyini and Claudette took more pictures of their food.

"Enjoy," Erik said, and once more there were moans and groans from delighted taste buds.

"I want to cry right now," Bertrand said with a mouthful of swordfish and chutney sauce.

"What did you grill the broccoli with?" Niecy asked with a broccoli floret on her fork that disappeared right after she asked the question.

"It's olive oil and a little tamari sauce…Japanese soy sauce," Erik said.

"The fish is cooked to perfection, it's so flakey," Vera said.

"That is all Octavian, he was the grill master for the swordfish and broccoli," Erik said.

Renata saw Octavian cheesing so hard in his seat.

"It's fantastic," Celeste said. She reached over and stroked Erik's hand.

"Make sure you all make room for dessert," Renata said, her eyes on Celeste and Erik.

Erik glanced up at Renata and he held up his wine glass to her. She tipped hers back at him. Champagne coursing through her veins, curry and balsamic coating her tongue, Renata felt a little tipsy and full.

When it was time for dessert, Erik handled it by placing the cobblers and French vanilla bean ice cream out for people to self-serve. There was applause for the brown sugar crumble that covered the cobbler instead of the regular baked dough topping. Renata took two scoops of ice cream with her cobbler and she felt Mason's hands on her hips as he kissed her cheek. She could smell champagne on his breath.

"This was the best dinner. You guys really showed off tonight," he said.

"Thank you," she said.

Mason held onto her hips as the dub music grew wavy and her friends all danced as they fixed their dessert plates. Feeling good, Renata tossed her ass back in time to the music and Mason stood back to watch her backside jiggle. The music switched up to an Afrobeat groove and everyone shouted with pleasure at Erik's playlist. It became a mini-dance party and Renata spun around to hold Mason's shoulder while still holding onto her dessert plate with her other hand. She wound her hips with his eyes on her thighs as she did her thing. Mason grabbed her free hand and twirled her and Renata laughed loud and balanced her cobbler plate.

Erik stood near the island counter watching her, his eyes and the tight pressing of his lips letting her know he wasn't happy with Mason being up on her so close and grinding.

"Renata! Work that dress!" Niecy shouted.

Renata bent over slightly and twerked her cheeks and Soyini screamed while Vera slapped her ass in time to the music and thrust her pelvis into Renata.

"Family show! Family show!" Mason shouted pulling Renata away while everyone laughed.

Sitting back at the table, they all ate the cobbler and chatted while popping their fingers in time to the music.

"Is this real liquor in the peaches?" Dawn asked.

"Bourbon," Erik said.

"We about to get drunk off of dessert!" Terrell said.

"You already gone from the champagne," Renata teased.

"Right, right!" Terrell said.

Plans were made to go on the pontoon for one last evening ride and then there was a call for a late game of Cards Against Humanity again.

Renata chatted and ate, and when she glanced across the table again, Erik was staring at her hard. His face was neutral, and she could see that Celeste and Shawn were talking to him, but his eyes were taking her in like he had never seen her before. She tried focusing back on her own conversation, but she could still feel Erik's eyes on her.

When she stood up to grab another bottle of sparkling water from the kitchen, his eyes raked up and down her body, and his lips had that pouty look it got when he would tell her to sit on his dick. She started to feel hot and thrown off balance, especially when she brought water down to his side of the dining table and he held his water glass up for her to fill it for him. When their eyes met, she could see his Adam's apple moving in his throat and she felt his hand skirt up her backside and rub the rounded curve that met her lower back. His hands were so warm she could feel the heat through the material of her dress.

Erik was ready to fuck.

When he licked his lips again Renata moved away from him and returned to her seat. She felt herself begin to perspire and she did her best to ignore Erik as they finished dessert.

Bellies swollen and full, the meal ended on a lively note as everyone threw their trash away and helped make clean-up easier for Renata, Erik, and Octavian.

Even as they washed dishes and cleaned up the after-dinner mess together, Renata found Erik rubbing up against her as he dried the plates and glasses she washed. Octavian put dishes away and was oblivious to Erik touching her in sexual ways. He would step behind her and let his groin press into her backside and she would push back against him. While Octavian's back was turned and he was gossiping about Shawn's fiancé, Renata felt Erik's fingers slide down her stomach and slip between her legs. He stroked her folds through her thong. She nearly groaned out loud when he pulled it aside and dipped two of his fingers in her, her wetness leaking and coating him. Her eyes stared at his while her hands soaked in the dishwater.

"This my pussy?" he whispered while his brooding eyes bored into hers.

She nodded as she felt her jaw fall lax and her eyelids droop down.

"Lemme hear you say it. Tell me."

"This is your pussy."

She opened her legs wider and his lips parted revealing a bit of his tongue as his two fingers went deeper, past his knuckles.

"Hmmmm," she whimpered dropping the dish sponge in the warm water.

Erik wiggled his fingers side to side stroking the rings of muscle trying to suck his fingers deeper into her pussy.

"Tight pussy…" he sighed.

"Yes, baby."

Renata circled her hips so slowly that it was making Erik tug on his bulge with his free hand distorting the clean lines of his pants. The sight of his straining erection made her murmur his name with breathy pants.

"Ohhh," he groaned looking down at his hand under her dress.

He removed his fingers from between her legs and started kissing her when Octavian turned back to them.

"I guess we are finished up here since you two are doing something else now," Octavian said. He left them alone and Erik forced her hands on his dick. He was breathing hard and she stroked him through his pants. His lips assaulted hers again, and she couldn't get over how desperate he was acting.

He pulled her out of the kitchen and sat down on the chair she was in at dinner and made her sit side saddle on his lap as he continued kissing her. She tried slowing him down by touching his face and pulling back a bit.

"What's your hurry?" she asked, but his hands were on her nape pushing her head back to him so his mouth could continue ravaging hers.

His heightened sexual need flowed into her and when their lips separated for a moment, Erik groaned so hard she thought he was in pain. Their mouths fused again and she wasn't ashamed to hear the mewling sounds coming from her as their necks shifted from left to right for a long time. When Erik started sucking on her tongue, his hand reached up and clutched at her breast and his touch made her squirm in his lap. That movement made him drop his hand down to her thighs where he pried her legs open and reached up under her dress and yanked on her thong. She felt it rip in his hands and he lifted her up from his lap. She stood up as he fumbled with his belt and the zipper on his pants. She could feel the frustration coming from him when he couldn't get his pants unfastened quick enough.

When he finally released his erection, he shoved her dress up higher on her hips and didn't even give her a chance to think before he was making her sink her pussy down on him as she sat back side saddle again.

She threw an arm around his shoulder as he thrust up into her, his right hand rubbing her ass cheeks while his left hand held her in a vice-like grip.

"Ooohooo…" he moaned pressing his face into her shoulder and pumping furiously up into her.

Renata worked her hardest to keep her voice quiet.

"Bounce on me, baby," Erik said through gritted teeth.

Renata leaned forward and lifted up and down on him, her body smashing down on him hard but slow. He held out his left arm for her to hold onto to balance herself as she figured out a workable rhythm.

"I couldn't wait for this dinner to be over, girl. Looking at you in this goddamn dress…I needed to be in this pussy," he said.

"Erik…damn…," she whispered, pushing down on her heels to lift herself up.

"Keep bouncing on me….keep bouncing…keep bouncing baby…my balls been heavy for you all fuckin' day….shit. Bounce on that shit. Just like that, just like that…fuck….you coming down hard. Get your dick…get your dick."

The dire need for her body was so clear on his face.

"Someone's coming," she whispered, trying to reach for the material of her dress bunched up at her waist.

"I don't give a fuck," he said holding her hand in place as he pushed his dick up into her.

Her eyes darted toward the steps and she saw Shawn jog up into the space. He halted immediately, his eyes taking in her thick round ass bouncing on a big dick out in the open. Erik was hitting her skins hard. A yelp escaped her lips when Erik's dick struck a sweet spot and she could see Shawn becoming aroused when his hand shot out to grab his own penis and adjust himself. She pressed her eyelids shut and gnashed her teeth together listening to their skin slapping together.

When she opened her eyes again, Shawn had left.

"Lift up," Erik said.

She raised off of him and he picked her up and sat her on the cleaned heavy oak dining table, throwing her legs over his shoulders, her heels jabbing his back. He sank his thickness back in her and took his time sliding in and out. She gripped his forearms and whimpered at how gushy her pussy was.

"Ooh… this dick is getting close to spittin'…I just wanna nut all in this," he gasped.

She ran her hands down his chest and gripped the bottom of his shirt, lifting it up so she could see his chest. His stomach muscles flexed and his nipples were hard to the touch.

"You were starving for this pussy?" she said, letting her nails drag down his chest. His stomach shuddered from her touch and he moved his face closer to hers.

"Fucking famished," he said nipping at her lips.

He pulled out of her and dropped his body and face down to eat her pussy. She became his fifth-course meal on the dining table, his mouth slurping and his tongue dipping in her wet messy folds. His head nudged her inner thighs back so they opened wider. His thick tongue licked her like she was the real peach cobbler dessert. He sat his sumptuous lips on the hood of her clit and let the tip of his tongue tickle the bud while he hummed to vibrate the nerves there. Renata shoved the side of index finger into her mouth, the long stiletto nail stabbing the side of her cheek.

"Huhhh…huhhhhh…." she whined feeling her thighs shake.

"I'ma miss this pussy so much," he whispered between tongue swipes.

His tongue slid down the left side of her vulva and lapped at the skin at the meeting of her thigh and mound. He bit the meaty flesh of her thigh and sucked hard enough to leave a love bite. He did the same to her other thigh tickling her skin with the hairs on his chin.

He raised up plunging back into her, pushing her thighs back with his hands, forcing the heels of her shoes to rest on the table. Legs and pussy all open for the world to see.

"Look at you…being all nasty…letting me fuck this fat ass like this. Big ole booty getting slapped with my sack, hmmmmm—"

Her lips pursed together and a bratty sounding whine came out.

"You just a big booty bitch…huh? Just letting me smash this whenever I want, huh? This your fault for wearing this dress. Letting me see these hips…thick ass thighs…"

She closed her eyes.

"You'd let me fuck you anywhere. Shit feelin' good like a mug too."

SLAP!

That first strike popped her eyes open, and she watched his wide-open palm give underhanded slaps to her ass several more times.

"Lemme drain these nuts in your pussy, baby."

She was sure that everyone two floors down outside could hear them.

She didn't care.

Erik pulled out again and gripped the root of his cock. He slapped her clit with his dick creating a delicious tempo that made her plump bud jump each time he struck it.

Renata thought she had gotten accustomed to his size, but watching his dick spank her clit made her feel wonder all over again. He was so swollen, his wide head dripping pre-cum all over her labia.

"Ooh, you finna get it," he sputtered, pushing his dick back into her, his length even more rigid after spanking her clit.

"Baby…"

"You gon' miss Daddy's dick. Who gon' fuck you like this in California?"

He pulled his dick out enough so that only the tip was penetrating her. Even that was enough to make her start leaking water from her eyes, the fat head putting pressure on the hood of her clit that was crying out for relief.

"Tell me. Who gon' make this pussy talk like this?"

Erik swiveled his hips making the tip of his dick stir the sticky wetness leaking out of her and him.

"Ooh, listen to that, she talkin' to me, telling Daddy not to go away."

"Please…" she whispered.

"Where you gon' get dick like this?"

"Just fuck me."

She pushed herself on him making his dick go in deeper but he pulled back from her, still teasing the head in and out.

His need to make her tell him that his dick would be the best she ever had once he left her was irritating. His voice was playful and she didn't like it. It was as if he wanted to make himself distant from her, make this final fuck between them a friendly tryst. She couldn't do that. What she felt for him prevented her from going back to casual intercourse. She was beyond that now. And she wasn't going out like that.

"Look at my balls moving. They getting' tight, baby. Get ready to catch this nut," he grunted.

Erik reached under her ass and held her cheeks as he rested his weight on her and pumped hard. Renata pushed back on his stomach and looked him in his eye. He was so ready to cum.

She grabbed his hair and pulled his neck to the side. His eyes grew wide and his strokes sputtered off beat when she rotated her hips taking over the rhythm between them. If this was going to be their grand finale, then she wanted it on her terms. She wanted to make love and carry that energy with her to California. He may not love her the way she loved him, but she was going to make him feel it one last time…feel the power of her pussy.

Her fingers tightened in his hair.

"Fuck me like you want this pussy," she hissed.

He pulled out all the way and entered her with less ferocity.

"Just like that. This some grown ass pussy. Give me some grown ass dick. Slow your roll boy."

"Aye!" he said, his dimples popping out.

She patted the top off her mound striking the hood of her clit with her long nails.

"Where you gonna get pussy like this, huh? Oakland? Cambridge? Brazil? Where?"

He grunted and gave her shallow thrusts that drove her crazy. She grabbed his forearms again.

"Give this kitty what she needs, boy," she demanded.

Calling him boy stoked something in him and her pussy was paying for it. She was barely hanging on to control, so ready to cave in to his sublime strokes. She fought her eyes from rolling back. If he saw that, he would pounce and murder her shit before she was ready to give in. She lifted her legs and his eyes stared up at her heels dangling above him.

"This my dick?" she purred.

"Yeah!" His eyes were on her bouncing breasts and her large puckered nipples poking through her dress.

"You wanna nut, Daddy?"

"Ohhh…shitttt….yeah…yeah—"

"You can cum on my stomach then."

His eyes shot up to her face.

"I'm cumming in this pussy," he said.

She shook her head.

"On my stomach."

He stopped moving and she released his hair. His hands slid up her waist and clutched at her breasts. He shifted his weight and his dick hit the side of her vaginal wall making her toes bunch up in her shoes. Her legs dropped down.

"Fuck," she said.

He caught the weak inflection in her voice and the alpha in him pounced.

"Nah. I'm cumming in this pussy. You do what I say."

"This is my pussy," she said.

Writhing on him slowly, she clenched her walls as tight as she could, praying all those Kegels she had been doing since college worked in her favor. And with a dick this powerful, one that knew how to wear pussy down, she needed all the advantages she could get over him. She laid back on the table and raised her dress up, the stretchy material easing above her breasts, revealing her full mounds encased in a sheer black bra.

"Only my man can nut in me," she said plucking at her nipples that were practically popping through the rayon.

Erik grabbed her thighs and dragged her ass to the edge of the table, his feet shuffling back with his pants still wrapped around his ankles. She could hear his belt buckle dragging on the hardwood floor.

"Fuck you say?" he said.

The bass in his voice was loud and rough. He was struggling to maintain his composure with her still wriggling on the dining table, her pussy still tugging on his dick. His eyes shut for a second when she swerved her hips and lifted her ass up and down from the table making his dick hit a little deeper. She felt it tap her cervix and she adjusted her movement.

"That's what you told me. I shouldn't fuck dudes like this unless they were my man. That means cumming in me too."

Renata pulled his dick out of her and felt emotionally and physically empty without that heat from him.

"Put that shit back," he growled.

"No. Cum on these tits nigga and stop playing with me," she barked back at him.

His head cocked to the side and a malicious-looking sneer painted his lips.

"Playing witchu?"

"Yeah, playing with me. This has been fun, Daddy, but I need more. This ain't it—"

His left hand shot out and grabbed her throat.

"Put my dick back in!"

Renata fought the urge to wrap her fingers around his hand. Fresh wetness dripped from her slit and the throbbing coming from the front of her vagina made her want to roll off the table.

"No."

She tugged down her bra cups and her breasts spilled out.

"Cum on these big nipples, boy."

Her neck was still in his grip and he pushed her back on the table. He stroked his dick with his right hand and pushed her legs open with his thighs.

She wanted his dick back in her, but she needed to break him. She was buzzing hard from the champagne and sangria.

He slapped his dick on her clit again and her body shot up from the table, but the pressure from his hand on her throat only allowed her chest and legs to lift up.

"You ready to bust yourself, girl. Fucking around like you don't want this digging you out."

He lined up his glans at her opening and her pussy lips quivered from the heat being so near her again.

"Whatchu tryna prove, Ma? You know you want me in your pussy."

She made her eyes look away from his face.

"Lemme in," he said.

He let his tip give her soft taps at her entrance and she could feel her folds caving in by twitching for him.

"Yeah, look at that shit. Pussy tryna swallow my dick all on its own. Your body can't lie to me, girl. This my pussy. I don't give a fuck what you say. I'ma drain my balls all in this. And you gon' say thank you for it."

He pushed the head in and stopped when the entire fat mushroom cap was inserted. His eyes were on hers when she stared back at him, her lips quirked from the sensuous pressure he gave her.

"Look at your pussy. She kissing my dick…sucking on it," he said.

She could feel her labia and inner muscles moving, clutching at his glans.

"Lemme in," he said again. Even though he had her tunnel wide open, he was still seeking explicit consent from her to go on. He made his dick jump in her entrance without moving his hips, the thumping under her clit making her weak. The self-control he had over his length was scary.

She traced her hands down his arm and removed his hand from her neck. Raising up her body, she held his shoulders and draped her legs over his biceps.

"You want this?" she asked, brushing her lips against his, not quite kissing him, but causing him to follow her mouth with his. She let him kiss her and allowed his tongue to enter her mouth with soft licks and then a gentle sucking of her lips. The soft sensual kissing lured him in, and when he needed her mouth more than air itself, she eased his erection back into her core.

"Right there, right there…" she panted, leading their pace, the friction from her walls forcing sounds from him she had never heard before.

This was no longer sex. Nor fucking.

This was more.

She thought of his parents and the meal they had eaten in honor of them. She thought of the pressure for him to succeed at M.I.T. How alone he must feel worrying about staying on track with his career goals and caring for a grandfather on a whole other coast. How much extended family support did he have besides his grandfather and Marisol's family? Both so far away from him. To be young, gifted, and Black could be a burden in a world stacked against him. Especially being an orphan with no siblings.

She didn't want to feel sorry for him, although she did feel pity in her heart. She just wanted to show him love…give him love. Surround him in this moment with all the affection and sensual comfort she could bless him with.

His eyes were glued to hers and she could see his jawline clenching and unclenching. She watched him draw his lower lip between his teeth. She felt her own lips quirk up when a soft shivery groan escaped his lips when she lightly scraped her nails along the tight cords in his neck.

He was rooted in her depths and his short thrusts had her feeling high-strung and ready to shatter all over his dick.

"Ah…oh yeah…I know you want this pussy…you wanna cum in my tight pussy," she whispered stoking the flames in him.

"Oh yeah…right there…right there on my clit," she sighed.

She reached down and pulled back the hood on her bud even further, exposing her tenderness there as his girth pulled down on her inner labia. He was stretching it down with the base of his cock. His heavy sack that was once hanging low was now a firm tight ball pressing on her anus.

"So good…so fucking good," she sighed.

It was like a game of chicken now, their eyes locked on one another, neither of them looking away as they headed straight for the climax of not just their love-making, but the climax of their time together at the lake house.

"Can I cum all over your hard dick right now, baby?"

Erik almost lost the stare down when his forehead creased and his eyelids went to half-mast. He kept pumping with exquisite strokes, all vocabulary lost and forgotten for the moment as he concentrated on her face.

"Ahhh, right fucking there baby! Hmmmm…yeah…right there…I want you to cum in my pussy…I want you to fill my pussy up with your cum. Please? Please give me your fucking cum…"

Erik's body jerked and he gasped clutching onto her left nipple and twisting it hard.

"Please….please fill my pussy up…ohhh…ohhhh, Erik!"

Her face scrunched up as she felt her walls quake around his length. She knew she probably looked hideous, but she couldn't help it, her orgasm had her in its grasp and it wasn't letting go—

"Yes! Yes! I want you to cum right there in my pussyyyyy….!"

She was cumming again and she felt water pressing out of her eyelids and leaking down her face. She thrust back on him eliciting a full-throated "Fuck!" from his mouth.

Her orgasm was dragging out from the bottom of her vagina, and she knew she would never have it this good for a long time and she had to let him know. She ran her nails on the nape of his neck.

"Erik…baby…I love you."

Her words stumbled out between the spasms her pussy was putting on his dick.

"Shut your mouth! Don't say that!"

He jammed his fingers in her mouth and pulled his cock out of her. A clear viscous fluid spilled out from her and Erik pushed back from her to stare at it, the syrupy consistency dripping from his still raging erection too. He hadn't cum yet. All this was from her.

"Shit," he said.

She pulled his fingers from her mouth and held them.

"I love you," she said again.

He turned his face away from her and reached for her throat again, but his fingers dropped down to her left nipple instead and plucked at it. His face looked angry.

"I told you…I can't tell you that…I don't know…I don't know what I'm—"

"Show me then," she said, reaching for his length, gently bringing it back to the wet sticky entrance where her pussy was still pulsing from her release. He wouldn't look in her eyes directly. She stroked him.

"It's okay, baby. I just wanted you to hear the words from me. It's just what I feel. I want you to know it. Out loud. I think…I think you are magnificent. I think…I think you are going to do so much in the world. If no one ever tells you that, just know that I believe in you."

She felt hot tears spill down her cheeks, the weight of the week finding cleansing release in the drops falling from her eyes.

Erik pulled her face closer and rested his forehead on hers.

"Don't cry. You don't have to cry…Renata…"

His fingers swiped at the faucet running down her face.

"Ah, girl, damn…"

Her hands cradled his neck and she ran her fingers down his back.

"I can't help it," she whispered.

He held her face and kissed her deeply, her tears smearing on his cheeks and lips where they could both taste the salted sadness.

When his dick kept hitting against her vulva, he pulled back from her and gazed at her face. The final rays of sunlight hit his brown eyes making them look lighter and on fire. She mouthed the words 'I love you' again and he pulled her off of the table and turned her around.

Her hands palmed the wood of the dining table and he pressed his needy erection back into her. He wrapped his right hand around the material of her dress and used the other hand to grip her waist. She arched her back as he snapped his hips, taking her hard and fast.

She couldn't catch her breath.

Cheeks clapping, pussy talking all wet and loud, Erik Stevens showed Renata exactly what he was feeling.

"Erik—"

Both hands shot up and circled her throat, choking her words off. The pressure from his hands forced her neck up.  
"Hmmphhh!" was all she could chortle out as his hips pistoned into her ass.

His hands dropped down to her stiff nipples and he tweaked them, forcing her to gush all over his dick again.

"Ahhhahhhh, shit…ooh, fuck, here that nut cums, oohhoo fuck—" he cried out.

Renata turned her head back to the left and Erik hunched down to meet her, his mouth latching onto hers. They tongued each, lush lips twisting to find more connection with one another. Renata hummed down his throat as she felt him dig into his heels and push in deep.

His wet lips released hers as he breathed into her ear, "Tell me you love me again."

She twisted her waist so she could look him directly in the eye. His dick was swelling and she felt it stretch her more.

"I love you—"

"Ah, fuck…here that nut is, baby…"

He was pressed tightly against her back, squeezing her tits.

"…draining my shit girl…"

"…fill this pussy up…"

"…shooting all in this…"

"…yeah…baby…"

"…sending me back spoiled…"

She felt him shiver with the final throes of his orgasm. He was panting and gulping for air near her ear, his weight pushing her down onto the dining table.

"Call my Grandpop. Tell him I'm dead," Erik said with halting breaths.

Renata burst out laughing and she felt Erik chuckling too, his heaviness getting uncomfortable smashing her down on the table.

"Nigga, get up, I can't breathe," Renata said, still laughing but gasping for air too.

"Give me a minute, girl. I can't feel my nutsack. Your pussy stole my balls."

Renata laughed even harder but his weight was beginning to hurt. She lifted up her shoulders to make him move.

"Give me sec—"

"I can't breathe—"

"You're able to talk so you can breathe."

He reluctantly raised up.

She pushed back from the table and tried to pull down her dress.

"Hold on, bend back over. I wanna see—"

He pushed her back down and ran his hands up and down her folds.

"Goddamn," he said.

His hand slapped her entire vulva and she could hear literal splashing sounds.

"That was the nut of a lifetime. Your pussy is still dripping, and it's not just my cum," he said.

She felt three of his fingers dip into her slit.

"Listen to all that," he said. He sounded surprised. She laid her stomach down on the dining table again and reached back with her hands to spread her ass cheeks for him.

"Fuck," he said, "them nails look good on that ass, Ma."

His fingers thrusted in and out.

"Killing me with these heels…but this pussy…"

He played with her opening demanding that she keep her hands separating her cheeks.

It didn't take her long to cum once more, and she was not surprised to feel him shooting his hot jizz all over her ass cheeks and her fingers.

He finished her off by spanking her pussy from behind. The sound of sloppy wet cum from both of them oozing from her winking slit excited him, and when he struck her clit for the last time, she felt complete.

###

Everyone knew what they had done on the dining room table.

When they finally joined the rest of the group to enjoy the last pontoon ride, there were playful giggles and gentle teasing from the guys mainly. Her women friends just gave her envious but happy glances.

Shawn had given a warning about not going to the kitchen.

Renata knew Shawn wouldn't give illicit details, but he had kept the others from seeing them. She surprised herself by not feeling embarrassed by it. Erik shook off the ribbing, but they were the only ones who had to change clothes for the boat ride. Renata threw her interview dress back on, and Erik changed into some dark joggers and a t-shirt.

There was so much laughter and positive conversations on the pontoon. Octavian told everyone about Erik knowing capoeira, and the talk turned to what the Black people in Brazil were really like and was carnival just as wild and amazing as they hoped it was.

Back at the house the Cards Against Humanity game was a riot, both Erik and Renata going at each other again about their answers when they disagreed with an outcome.

More champagne was shared around a final summer fire, and Soyini gave a closing toast to everyone that went well until Renata's eyes caught Erik's. The high he had been on from their sex, the boat ride and games seemed to have crashed down. She wondered if he was just tired from the vigorous love-making, but when everyone started hugging one another to say goodbye early, she felt a lump in her throat. She had to leave early in the morning with Shawn, Bertrand, and a few others because they had to be at the airport early. Erik would be leaving with the group that had a later car ride.

By midnight everyone had turned in, a few hanging out in the main living room to watch a movie. Renata changed into the sweat pants and sweatshirt she wore when she first arrived.

Staying outside, she rocked her body on one the hammocks and sipped a final glass of champagne. Her big suitcase was already placed in the van. All she had left was a backpack and a small travel bag. Those sat in the living room.

She didn't want to go down to the basement. She knew she would cry or try to make love to him again, and she had to extricate herself from Erik now. It was going to hurt to leave in the morning, but if she didn't have to see him, she felt she could make it through. The hustle and bustle of getting to and through the airport would keep her occupied. And once she got back to Dallas, she had to hit the ground running to pack and prepare to go work for Tony Stark.

The hammock was not as comfortable as she had hoped, so she moved onto the pontoon, stretching out on the soft cushioned seats. The rocking of the boat eased her spirit and she stared up at the dark sky watching all the stars twinkling above her. She was restless. Then she realized she didn't have her cell phone with her or a watch on to keep track of the time. She dragged herself off of the pontoon and decided to see if there was any cobbler left in the kitchen.

Soyini was sitting at the island counter snacking on ice cream and peaches. Great minds did think alike. Renata heated the cobbler in the microwave and fixed a bowl with ice cream. Dipping a plastic spoon into the sugary goodness she eyed Soyini watching her face.

"Exciting week, huh?" Soyini said.

"You just said a word, Sis."

"You alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Erik…"

"Is it that obvious?"

Soyini nodded.

"You two clicked fast. I thought he and Celeste would be the summer lovers, but…you two…whoa."

"Back to real life though," Renata said scooping brown sugar crumbles onto her spoon.

"You two aren't going to try and keep in contact?"

"He's young—"

"Please—"

"He is—"

"Stop looking for excuses. You're scared."

" As always, it's not me, it's him. I could see myself trying to make something happen. He doesn't want to. He's got too much going on. And I do too now that I'm moving to California."

"Get settled and then reach out to him. Give it a couple of months."

"I want to keep it concluded here. That would be best. Sweet memories and all that jazz…"

Soyini ate her dessert and didn't push it.

"He makes you glow."

Renata ignored the comment.

"Why are you hiding out here?" she asked.

"I'm not hiding—"

"You only have a few hours left to be here with him and you aren't curled up next to him? Sad."

"I'm protecting my heart."

"Whatever, Renata. But if I had a man that made me scream like he had you carrying on tonight on top of my mother's antique dining table, I would be down there holding him tight. Soaking up all the lovin' I could get."

Soyini threw away her trash and rubbed Renata's back.

"See you in a few hours."

Renata finished her late-night snack and stood near the top of the stairs. Every minute and every second counted. She would never see him again. But she could hold him. One last time. Just feel all the feels.

He was awake on the hideaway. Listening to music on his cell.

"'sup," he said watching her.

"Soyini and I ate the last of the peach cobbler."

"I'm surprised there was any left."

She eased over to him and just stood near the bed.

"Thought you were going to sleep outside," he said.

"Forgot my cell phone and my watch. Didn't want to sleep without an alarm."

"Your stuff all packed?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah," he said.

She was feeling shy around him now.

"We good?" he asked.

"We good."

"I'll call you when I get into Boston. Let you know I made it back okay. I want you to do the same when you make it into Dallas," he said.

She nodded.

"I gotta get this symposium shit perfected, and since Tony's ass is going to be out there, I gotta be tight cuz he's going to be on my ass. My damn roommate texted me saying his lab partner is crashing on our couch, so I know the crib is a dumpster fire at this point—"

"Erik," she said, bending down to look in his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Say less, baby."

She crawled onto his lap and kissed him. He relaxed and she pulled him down on top of her. Releasing his lips, she sat back on his pillows as he laid his head on her chest.

Whatever the future had in store for either of them was not her concern. At this moment, all she wanted was to hold him, caress his cheek, and listen to his breathing turn deep and restful as he fell asleep in her arms. She loved him and would always love him no matter where the world took him. And she had no doubt that this man was going to do big things.

Erik shifted his head so that he rested evenly on her breasts. She smirked. He liked being coddled like a big ole baby.

"Renata…"

"Hmmm?"

She thought he had drifted off completely. His voice sounded tired and halfway into dreamland.

"I'm coming to see you winter break when I go to Oakland."

"For real?"

"Yeah."

"I might be in Dallas for the holidays though—"

"Then I'll come out to Dallas. You can show me your Dad's horses."

"That might be a pricey trip."

"A nigga don't mind being flewed out."

"Flewed out?" she laughed.

"Yeah. Let me see how you Black cowboys be livin'."

The sleepier his voice got, the thicker his accent became.

"Okay."

"Okay, what?" he said.

"I'll send you a ticket. First class."

"Ballin'," he said.

Christmas couldn't get there fast enough.

He mumbled something softly into the valley of her breasts that she couldn't quite catch before he was spirited away to a blissful sleep

It sounded something like "I love you", but she couldn't be sure.

She stroked his hair until she drifted off herself. There was no need for him to say the words she longed to hear. She could feel it all around her.

Especially from the beating of his heart.

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading. Please check out Erik's next adventure, "Wet Sugar". Coming soon!**

**"Wet Sugar" Summary:**

_**Summary:**_

_**Erik Stevens has fully embraced his new identity as Erik Killmonger and infiltrated a mercenary group with ties to Ulysses Klaue. Invited to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to meet for the first time, Klaue is impressed with Erik, unaware that the man before him is the son of Prince N'Jobu Udaku, a man he betrayed on a failed mission in Wakanda years ago.**_

_**Erik ingratiates himself to Klaue and is found to be a useful member of the new mercenary team the black market arms dealer and smuggler is putting together.**_

_**As a reward for hard and profitable work for him, Ulysses allows Erik to stay a summer at his stash/safe house to keep a close eye on some stolen artifacts hidden there. Erik uses that time to hatch the long term plan to use Klaue to gain access to Wakanda, however, he becomes distracted by Klaue's housekeeper who allows Erik glimpses into a possible different life he could have if he ever let go of his plans for revenge...**_


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